Oxford woman charged with house break-in, theft of sports cards

OXFORD — A 25-year-old woman allegedly admitted she broke into her neighbor's house and stole valuable sports cards, which she sold to a local collector, police said.

The alleged victim noticed his belongings in the collector's store, police said.

Lynn M. Desrosiers of 7 Shady Lane pleaded not guilty Monday in Dudley District Court to two counts each of breaking and entering during the daytime to commit a felony, and larceny valued at more than $250.

Ms. Desrosiers was released on $100 bail. A judge ordered her to stay away from and not to abuse the alleged victim.

At about 4 p.m. Friday, Patrolman Derek P. Courchaine went to DJ's Sports Cards to speak with the owner, Richard Polletta, about sports card binders that had been brought to his shop to be sold, the police report said.

Also present was the alleged victim, who frequented the store, police said.

Mr. Polletta had informed the alleged victim that a young woman entered the store on multiple occasions with sports cards in binders, police said.

The owner told police he at first paid the woman $45 for a binder of football cards during a transaction that had occurred around July 29 to 31, police said.

Patrolman Courchaine and Sgts. Robert Green and Jeromy Grniet went to Ms. Desrosiers' house to arrest her, the report said.

Police said Ms. Desrosiers told them she also had stolen compact discs from the victim's house. She gave authorities 20 CDs, and they took her to the police station.

During the interview, Ms. Desrosiers admitted she had entered the home on July 28 and Aug. 4 using a key she found in a jar in the garage, the report said.

She said her family and the victim's family are friends, and she had been invited to the house on several occasions to feed their cats, police said.

During the July 28 break-in, she stole the football cards, which date to the 1950s and 1960s and were "of significant value," police said.

Ms. Desrosiers told authorities that on Aug. 4, she removed a trash bag from underneath a sink, went downstairs to the basement, and stole two binders containing baseball cards from the 1940s to the 1960s, including a 1951 card of Red Sox great Ted Williams.

She said she also stole about 50 CDs, which police said were worth about $500. She said she had thrown away the other 30 CDs.

In addition, Ms. Desrosiers said, she took a large sum of nickels and dimes from a jar on the counter.

She said she placed all of the items in the bag and fled.

Ms. Desrosiers told police she is in a treatment program in which she was training to be a substance abuse counselor.

DJ's Sports Cards was not open for business Monday.

Contact Brian Lee at brian.lee@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BleeTG